Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer Parent Guide

Just when they think they have gotten the whole super-hero thing figured out, the Fantastic Four (Michael Chiklis, Jessica Alba, Ioan Gruffudd, Chris Evans) find their skills challenged by the Silver Surfer (Doug Jones). And worse yet, it turns out the chrome surfer dude is only the opening act for an even bigger player--Galactus!

Parent Movie Reviewby Rod Gustafson

The Fantastic Four return during a year dominated with sequels and triquels, and seeing as we’re talking about numbers, this time they are also minus a 13… as in PG-13. The original movie released with the more restrictive US rating, but obviously a decision has been made to turn this franchise into something more fitting of a good ol’ fashioned adventure matinee. While diehard fans of the series may be disappointed (for instance, this time Jessica Alba’s character doesn’t have to doff her clothes to turn invisible), it’s great to discover an action adventure that is far more family friendly than most.

This time the group is faced with global destruction when a mysterious force known as Galactus drops by for a visit via his henchman—a silver surfer dude. After he punches huge holes in the planet’s surface, the US military is suspicious something real bad is going to happen.

But General Hager’s (Andre Braugher) request to Professor Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd) for help is met with a polite, “No thanks.” The Professor explains he has plans for the weekend—namely his wedding to Sue Storm (Jessica Alba), the one female in the quartet. With Sue’s flaming brother Johnny (Chris Evans) and rock bodied friend Ben (Michael Chiklis) supporting the notion that love comes before military requests, it seems the General has been put on hold.

Thankfully for the rest of us Earthlings, Professor Richards turns out to be a true workaholic, so he somehow manages to squeeze in the time to build the high-tech sensor the military needs. And that proves to be fortuitous when the wave rider from space makes a splash at the nuptials, littering the event with destruction and crashing helicopters. Now forced to focus on the job at hand, the team faces an enemy so powerful they have no other choice but to work with their former enemy Victor Von Doom (Julian McMahon)—who was supposed to be dead at the end of the last movie.

While not the most compelling story to hit the screen, this adventure is packed with the typical obstacles facing movie superheroes and multiple opportunities for innocent civilians to find themselves just a hair’s width away from doom and destruction. For the most part the violence involves wide vistas of crumbling cities and mountains, however there are times when the PG rating is pushed—like when half of a man’s body is literally blown to bits and we see his dead corpse. Images like this may make the movie a little too much for the young audiences. Other content concerns include a handful of minor curses, a couple of rude anatomical terms and some veiled sexual innuendo (usually in reference to married relationships).

Perhaps the “cherry on top” for family viewing is a strong message about the ability of each of us to make good choices no matter what the circumstances. Toss in some theater-rocking explosions and action that walks a careful line between child-friendly and exciting, and this movie qualifies as being particularly fantastic four ‘tweens and teens.

About author

Rod Gustafson has worked in various media industries since 1977. He founded Parent Previews in 1993, and today continues to write and broadcast the reviews in newspapers, on radio and (of course) on the Internet. His efforts also include writing and researching media in all its forms and observing how it effects society and culture. He and his wife Donna have four children.

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver SurferRating & Content Info

Why is Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer rated PG?Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer is rated PG by the MPAA for sequences of action violence, some mild language and innuendo.

Toned down just enough to fall into a US PG rating category, this second outing for the Fantastic Four features many scenes of stylized violence that includes cities crumbling with associated property damage. Perhaps more bothersome will be scenes of one-on-one conflicts where people are thrown against walls, rocks and other objects. One scene shows a man’s body being partly blown to bits by a force field, and later we see his half-destroyed corpse again. In another, a woman is hit with a spear that we see protruding from her body. Dark scenes show an evil man with a mask, which may be frightening to young viewers. Sexual content consists of some veiled innuendo regarding intimate married relationships and a woman’s clothes are burned off her body, leaving her naked in public—however we only see a small portion of her body and no overt nudity is depicted. At a bachelor party, some women are shown wearing tiny miniskirts while trying to convince a man to dance with them. A small number of mild profanities are heard along with a couple of rude anatomical terms.

Page last updated May 4, 2009

More parents' guide for Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer after the break...

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer Parents' Guide

A character in this film decides it is better to harm others than let someone he loves get hurt. When are we justified in using force to protect others? How do “bullies” sometimes use tactics to convince us others will be harmed if we don’t do what they ask?

Characters in this film wrestle with the obligation to use their power for good knowing it will attract publicity versus the temptation to go into hiding so they can live “normal” lives. In reality, what types of people attract most of the media’s attention? Are they usually doing things that will better our society?

Home Video

The most recent home video release of Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer movie is October 2, 2007. Here are some details…

The Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer splash lands on DVD in a couple of editions. The single disc version features the movie in both widescreen and full screen versions, as well as two audio commentaries (one by director Tim Story, and the other by producer Avi Arad, writer Don Payne and film editors Peter S. Elliot and William Hoy). Audio tracks are available in English (5.1 Dolby Digital), Spanish (Dolby Surround) and French (Dolby Surround), with subtitles in English, Spanish and French.

The Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer The Power Cosmic Edition is a two-disc release offering all of the above, plus the following bonus materials: extended/deleted scenes (with optional commentary by director Tim Story), Family Bonds (a making-of documentary), Sentinel of the Spaceways (the comic book origins of The Silver Surfer), and featurettes exploring the technical workings of the film (The FantastiCar, The Power Cosmic, Character Design With Spectral Motion and Scoring the Fantastic). Interactive FantastiCar concept images, still galleries and the theatrical trailers are included too.

The Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer also releases on Blu-ray (dual-layer 50GB disc with English 5.1 DTS HD Lossless Master Audio, and English, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital sound.) This disc contains all the bonus features as well as the trivia game Saving The World One Question at a Time, the multi-player strategy game Who Dares Defy Galactus? and several high-definition trailers.

Related home video titles:

To promote this film, Twentieth Century Fox is re-releasing the prequel Fantastic Four to DVD in an Extended Edition. Spiderman 3 also has a strong message about making good choices in difficult circumstances.